"How tos" after purchasing your Mid Century Modern furniture

Congratulations, you’ve purchased a piece of wood furniture (or more) and you are unsure how to properly clean/ protect and maintain it. Don’t worry, it’s a cakewalk. Considering the size of the investment, we understand the hesitation and want you to protect your investment to ensure a long life for it.

Following these tips to make your furniture last a long time

To clean

For quick dust cleanup, start with a microfiber cloth and simply dampen the cloth in warm water. As you wipe down the surface, try to move with the grain. In most cases, this will be more than enough to remove any dust and dirt, follow up with a dry microfiber to soak up any excess moisture. Drop the dry rag. Taking a dry rag to a surface just spreads dust and it will scratch the surface of your furniture, ruining the finish.

If you need to do some deeper cleaning and tackle stubborn grim, try mixing mild soap and warm water. Instead of using large swiping motions, really focus on gently scrubbing small areas. You can even try using a light spray of non-ammonia-based glass cleaner to help get things clean.

Don’t use harsh cleaning chemicals ;) Both your furniture and skin will thank you for this.

To protect

Keep your furniture out of the sun. The temperature of the summer sun coming through a window can go above 140 degrees. It will cook fine finishes, fading and destroying them over time, and dry out and shrink the wood, which will cause cracks.

Don't place wood furniture near heating units or vents. Dry heat will cause the wood to dry and shrink.

Use protections: Coasters/ placemats/ trivets should be used all the time for any food or beverage on the wood’s surface. If you have any decorations that sit on your wood furniture, make sure to add pads underneath so that they don’t scrape the wood.

We know old school tablecloth is out of style, don’t worry, we won’t ask you to cover the beautiful Jerry tabletop, use table runner instead.

Lastly, don’t let spills sit. .

To touch up

For a quick-fix touch up, use the appropriate color shoe polish (yes, you heard me, shoe polish) on scratches and chips, especially to make them less visible on the feet of furniture. 

Alternatively, you can purchase a set of furniture touch up kits, carefully using a matching-color felt-tip marker first will hide it even better. This is the best way to touch up your furniture surface. 

Wood isn't hungry! You cannot feed furniture. No matter what the advertising says, wood cannot be fed or nourished or enriched with polishes or oils. Save your time and money. If the wood appears dull and dry, simply put a dab of olive oil onto a paper towel and lightly buff the surface. This will moisturize the wood and give it an illuminating shine.

To fix squeaky bed/ wobbly tables

After a period of time, if your bed/ table/ nightstand/ dresser feel wobbly or make some squeaky noise, we got you :)

1. Check the joints: Loose bolts are one of the most common reasons for a squeaky bed frame/ wobbly tables. It is a simple fix. Take a quick look at your frame’s joints to tighten any loose bolts. Use the provided Allen key to tighten the loose bolts. You don't keep one? Don't worry, email us, we will send you one :) You may want to lubricate the joints to minimize the chance of a recurrence. 

2. Oil the frame: A little goes a long way. Apply bee wax / candle wax (or similar over the counter alternatives, speak to a Home Depot/ any hardware stores associate, they will be able to show you lots of options) to the joints. 

3. Add paddings: An uneven floor can also cause a wobbly table or squeaky bed. Add padding under the necessary legs will fix the problem.

Designed in Canada

All Mim Concept pieces are designed in Canada and ethically manufactured. For every piece made a new tree is planted. Mim wants the right choice to be the easy one, that’s why all furniture is organically made and carpenters are well-paid and working in safe conditions. We invite you to stop by our shop and learn more about how we follow beautiful design with sustainability in mind.

By Anh Ly
Designer of Mim Concept